The Birthday Trip is a tense new Australian drama about the fragile bonds that hold us together

Badlands The Birthday Trip, directed by James Robert Woods, is an arresting new Australian drama that examines the relationships of three couples on a brief luxury retreat in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands. Generally, Australian films love to feature the landscape in a starring role. But The Birthday Trip is different — despite being set in the rural town of Robertson. There are some wide shots of green rolling hills. The couples are staying in relative isolation, with only the glum…